Transfer to South Zone

P-DAY! Finally!!!! It was hard waiting an extra 3 days, but we survived :) haha

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAINE IAN FROGGET!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm happy that I get to email you on your actual birthday!! I LOVE YOU!!! HAVE FUN!!!!! :)

I'm glad you all got the letter with the pictures! :) Hope you liked them! I'm glad I could warn you about the delayed p-day lol
OK this past week and 3 days have been AWESOME and crazy and hectic! Sadly I missed the Gardners!!! All the sisters were telling me that they were walking around somewhere so I was keeping my eye out for them and looking for them too! But I guess I wasn't supposed to see them.... sad! Tell them HI for me!!
Alright so here's how TRANSFERS work! On Monday of last week, we had a HUGE transfer conference where all the sisters and the president got together early in the morning and announced who was going outbound!! It seriously is like opening a 2nd mission call!! It was loud and fun and everyone was screaming and cheering for the sisters that got called on their outbound! So fun! I don't think I'll go until my 7th or 8th transfer... that's normally when they go. I have a feeling I'll be going to Atlanta Georgia!!! haha we'll see :) We also found out who our companions would be for the next transfer (6 weeks), what zone we would be in, where we're living, and what assignments we have. I'm staying with Sister Nakajima! YAY! And we don't have to move rooms or apartments, so that was SO nice! We moved from "cover zone" to "south zone" so we sadly can't contact people in the North visitors center or in the tabernacle anymore :( which is sad because I LOVE north! That's OK, south is awesome too! We stay around the assembly hall, the south visitors center, the statues and seashell fountain. Luckily when we take tours, we can take our guests anywhere we want, so we make extra efforts to find people so we can take them to North!!! haha Our specific assignment this transfer is FAMILY SEARCH!!!! We stay in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for about 6 hours per day (except Sundays) so if you're wanting to come visit me within the next 6 weeks, go to family search and you might be able to find me!!! :) (tell everyone in the ward that so they can visit me!) Anyway, we went an entire week in family search without ANY training whatsoever, so it was really difficult to help the guests that came in because we knew just as much as (or less than) they did! But I tried my best to capture as much info as I could from the Senior missionaries that we work with! They're hilarious and fun to work with! It's going to be a good transfer :) Basically what we do is greet the guests as they come down the stairs and take them to a computer to get started on their search. But before we do that, we have to take them on a "mini tour". There are different displays in the center talking about families and things like that. So we have to bridge the displays to the gospel, teach them a principle as we're prompted, testify, and invite them to have missionaries bring them a Book of Mormon. It's sometimes tough to do that in family search, but when we have faith to see miracles, they really do happen. There are a LOT less referrals in Family search (FS). And it's a bit tiring to be cooped up inside for hours (when we were so used to being outside on the square all the time last transfer). I REALLY have a love for being on the square now! lol. When we have time on the square, we really take advantage of it now and make sure to find people to teach. I love it! I've seen so many more miracles because I've worked harder and searched with more faith and happiness. It really works :) We BARELY had our training this morning! So now I know a little more about what I'm doing! yay!! And now I really want to work on my own family search! But unfortunately we aren't allowed to do our own. So I'll just come home and tell you all how to do it when I get back!! :)

We contacted a Chinese motorcoach the other day! That means that we helped 2 Chinese sisters as they took a huge group on a tour- by handing out referral cards and Joseph Smith pamphlets at the end, and carrying around the speaker during the tour so everyone could hear what they were saying. It's so fun! And Chinese people are SO prepared to hear the gospel! It was hilarious because as they were all getting off the huge bus at west gate, we stood there to greet them and get them organized into groups. I was the one to carry the speaker, and the Chinese sister was standing a few feet to the side of me. The people were so confused because they heard Mandarin coming from where I was standing, so they thought that I was speaking it! They all started laughing when they realized that it was just my speaker and the one who was REALLY talking was standing near me with the microphone. All throughout the tour they were taking pictures of me and complimenting my hair with the little English that they knew. After the tour ended, there was a line of people waiting to get pictures with me!! I guess they've never seen a pale redhead before lol :) They thought it was so beautiful... I felt like a celebrity hahaha It was fun :)

We gave a tour to a former sister that served here on temple square about 10 years ago!! You should ask sister Altum if she knew a Sister Decker from California. She's married to a nonmember now- her husband was on the tour as well. He was SO smart, especially in his knowledge about the Bible and the gospel. We tried so hard to teach him, but so many missionaries have tried to and he just won't budge!! All he needs is a testimony of Joseph Smith and his experience and everything else will fall into place. It's amazing how have a testimony of him really gives a foundation for pretty much everything else in the gospel. He either was a prophet or he wasn't. If he wasn't, then we're all living a lie and this is all a hoax. But if he was, then all of this is true and we have the TRUE restored gospel upon the earth today. We're just praying that he'll gain a testimony of such a wonderful and revered prophet- Joseph Smith. I love that man!!!

I saw Elder David Harris last week!!! Remember him?? He served in Gardnerville from 2003 to 2005 I think. He remembers Gville so well and loved it so much. I saw him at the missionary reunion when I went to it last year. Remember that? Anyway, I was asking him about the people he remembers, and he wants me to ask you about Jill Kushing... do you remember her? How is she doing? I also saw Ben and Carly- my 2 friends from my freshman ward at BYU! It was awesome to see them!! And Ben proposed to Carly later that day!! So they're getting married in December! Exciting! :) SCOTT came to temple square too!! he was taking pictures for a wedding and I only got to see him for like 5 minutes. But it was fun! he's coming back in November!

I met President Hinckley's home teacher the other day! :) How cool is that? It would be pretty intense to be the home teacher of a prophet! :)

Well I don't have much time! I'm now an official driver, and I have to go drive some sisters to walmart and the Asian market to get some food! We'll be making sushi again this week!! YAY! :) I love you all so much and always think about and pray for you!!! Have a wonderful week and know that Sister Frogget LOVES YOU LIKE CRAZY!!!! I love you family!!!! :) :) :)

Love,

Rochelle


PS: I'm no longer a baby anymore!!!!!!!! I'm now a 2nd transfer!!! It's so weird!! I see all the new sisters and it's so much fun to talk with them and comfort them :) I was just in their shoes and now I'm helping them out with the same struggles that I had. We have new roommates!!! Sister Harris went home :( and her companion moved to a different apartment complex. So we now live with Sister Ah-Sha from Tahiti (We're learning Tahitian dancing!! SO FUN!!!) and Sister Fox from Boston!!!! They're super cute and super fun. It's gonna be a great transfer :)

PPS: What's the weather like over there? We're getting random rainstorms and I LOVE IT!!!! It's so beautiful and smells so good! :)

PPPS: I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

PPPPS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY (again) BLAINE!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox